Kids denied admission by ‘minority schools’ to be admitted to govt schools

On August 13, the Gujarat High Court had ruled against the minority schools’ refusal to admit about 298 students under the RTE act. Following this, the DEO had directed the nine schools in question to admit the students by August 16.

However, the schools challenged the HC ruling in Supreme Court and refused admissions.

Parents of the affected 298 students approached the DEO office on Thursday, demanding a final and feasible solution for the admission of their children. After consultations between the parents, DEO and authorities from minority schools, who refused to budge, the education officials decided to temporarily admit the students to government run English medium schools till a final Supreme Court decision.

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Of the 298 students, parents of 50 children have agreed to admissions in schools which they had listed as their second choices.

“Our prime concern now is to facilitate the admission of these students at the earliest. The students have already missed 25 per cent of classes. At present, all schools under the RTE have full occupancy but we had reserved a few seats which the parents are willing to take. For others we have decided to admit them in Government English Medium schools,” said in-charge District Education Officer, Dr MN Patel.

Once admissions are finalised, NGOs will be brought in to run remedial classes for the students at the schools.

Vadodara city has three government-run English medium schools under Nagar Prathmik Sikshan Samiti. Of these, one is scheduled to commence from September, one is fully occupied and the other has few enrollments.

For students who were earlier enrolled at a minority school in Tandalja, the education officials have proposed admissions in the recently started Government English medium school in Por, 22 kms away from Tandalja.

“If the Supreme Court ruling is in our favour, we will shift the students to the minority schools where they were initially enrolled,” said Patel.

In Vadodara, 4,900 students were admitted to 324 schools under RTE. Of these 324 schools, 16 minority schools who had refused to admit students were served a notice by the DEO in May.

On May 25, nine trust-owned minority schools approached the HC against the notice. Since then, of the 400 students who were enrolled in these nine schools, parents of 102 students moved them to different schools, leaving 298.